Part I – The Kent and Mahaffy Families and Family Fun
East Wallingford was home to the early Kent family and their ancestors. Photos show the Kent siblings Duane, Wyatt and Drusilla on Big Pond Hill, Grandfather and Grandmother Stone, and the old Kent Homestead. As the three siblings reached adulthood they moved to Rutland and Proctor. Wyatt Kent started with Vermont Marble Co. in the field of grading marble. While in Proctor he became president of the Nickwaukett Club and met Christine Mellen. They soon became a couple. He lived in Proctor for 5 years before moving West, where he later invited Christine to join him as his wife. Drusilla Kent met her future husband, David Richard “Dick” Mahaffy in Proctor and they were married in 1908. Duane moved to Rutland and married Myrtle “Myrtie” Bolster. They settled at 39 Royce Place in Rutland and had two daughters, Helen in 1906 and Virginia in 1911. Both graduated from Rutland High School. After college Virginia married Frank Wicks and settled in New Jersey, where she had three children – Frank Jr., Barbara, and Araby. Helen married Sanford Witherell and they lived in Shoreham. The Kents celebrated their closeness and penchant for fun with many family reunions camping on Big Pond. The photos show that camping could be fun even in the early 1900s.
